Muloghonto Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 I cant believe it hasnt affected me till now, but here is the problem: I am a former Indian citizen- i gave mine up for a Canadian one. Having said that, i notice that it says some places in India, like Arunachal Pradesh are restricted to foreign citizens. Does it apply to me ? Do these restrictions apply for PIOs ? Does India differentiate between a PIO who's never been a citizen of India (eg: Shivnarine Chanderpaul) and a PIO who is a former citizen of India ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prakat Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 No. Your passport is your base document. Any fact prior to it is not pertinent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prakat Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 There may be extenuating circumstances. Like if you were a native of Arunachal Pradesh and had family or property in the state. In which case, you may, after attending to multiple sarkari forms and offices, gain limited and temporary access provided you show up regularly at your local police station. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jalebi_bhai Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 I cant believe it hasnt affected me till now, but here is the problem: I am a former Indian citizen- i gave mine up for a Canadian one. Having said that, i notice that it says some places in India, like Arunachal Pradesh are restricted to foreign citizens. Does it apply to me ? Do these restrictions apply for PIOs ? Does India differentiate between a PIO who's never been a citizen of India (eg: Shivnarine Chanderpaul) and a PIO who is a former citizen of India ? If you don't have an Indian passport.....I don't think you can..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desi Cartman Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 No one cares in India. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Outsider Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Does it apply to me ? Yes. Do these restrictions apply for PIOs ? Yes. Does India differentiate between a PIO who's never been a citizen of India (eg: Shivnarine Chanderpaul) and a PIO who is a former citizen of India ? No. No one cares in India. Not true for border and sensitive areas like Arunachal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laaloo Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 I am actually surprised they let a fanatic like you enter anywhere outside of the glorious bengal :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muloghonto Posted May 31, 2013 Author Share Posted May 31, 2013 :hitler::hitler::cry_smile::cry_smile::whine::whine::whine::whine: Thanks for the responses guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muloghonto Posted May 31, 2013 Author Share Posted May 31, 2013 Ok, this leads me to the next question: How strongly is the whole 'checking your passport' thing implemented for visiters to AP ? I dont mean Tawang or any close to the border areas, i mean places like Itanagar or the national park ? Is it one of those things that PIOs miss out on or is it one of those things that 'exists on paper' but nobody bothers checking ? Has anyone flown into Itanagar ? If so, did they ask you to produce your passport and prove your Indianness ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Outsider Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Ok, this leads me to the next question: How strongly is the whole 'checking your passport' thing implemented for visiters to AP ? I dont mean Tawang or any close to the border areas, i mean places like Itanagar or the national park ? Is it one of those things that PIOs miss out on or is it one of those things that 'exists on paper' but nobody bothers checking ? Has anyone flown into Itanagar ? If so, did they ask you to produce your passport and prove your Indianness ? You can visit Arunachal legally as a foreign citizen. Just like Indians you'll need to get a permit and the permit has more restrictions on it than for an Indian citizen. It might not allow you to go to Tawang or other areas close to the border where an Indian citizen can go, but you will be able to visit most of the state. The only major restriction is that you will not be allowed to travel in an independent capacity. You will have to be associated with an official tour operator. There is also some maximum day stay thing but it's reasonably long enough. If you are interested in hiking, not all routes will be permitted and you will need to register at each local magistrate or police station when you go from one district to another. I had helped arrange the protected area permit for a couple of friends of mine a few years back and it was reasonably straightforward though time consuming. You can apply for it at any Indian consulate, but since the document has to go to India and be approved there it can take a couple of months. Or you can apply for it in India, where it will be quicker but then you might be stuck in the city you apply in for 8-10 days as technically you are not allowed to leave the city while the application is in process, though no one would seriously follow up on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muloghonto Posted May 31, 2013 Author Share Posted May 31, 2013 You can visit Arunachal legally as a foreign citizen. Just like Indians you'll need to get a permit and the permit has more restrictions on it than for an Indian citizen. It might not allow you to go to Tawang or other areas close to the border where an Indian citizen can go, but you will be able to visit most of the state. The only major restriction is that you will not be allowed to travel in an independent capacity. You will have to be associated with an official tour operator. There is also some maximum day stay thing but it's reasonably long enough. If you are interested in hiking, not all routes will be permitted and you will need to register at each local magistrate or police station when you go from one district to another. I had helped arrange the protected area permit for a couple of friends of mine a few years back and it was reasonably straightforward though time consuming. You can apply for it at any Indian consulate, but since the document has to go to India and be approved there it can take a couple of months. Or you can apply for it in India, where it will be quicker but then you might be stuck in the city you apply in for 8-10 days as technically you are not allowed to leave the city while the application is in process, though no one would seriously follow up on that. Thanks so much for the info, mr LeT. This helps a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desi Cartman Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 You can visit Arunachal legally as a foreign citizen. Just like Indians you'll need to get a permit and the permit has more restrictions on it than for an Indian citizen. It might not allow you to go to Tawang or other areas close to the border where an Indian citizen can go, but you will be able to visit most of the state. The only major restriction is that you will not be allowed to travel in an independent capacity. You will have to be associated with an official tour operator. There is also some maximum day stay thing but it's reasonably long enough. If you are interested in hiking, not all routes will be permitted and you will need to register at each local magistrate or police station when you go from one district to another. I had helped arrange the protected area permit for a couple of friends of mine a few years back and it was reasonably straightforward though time consuming. You can apply for it at any Indian consulate, but since the document has to go to India and be approved there it can take a couple of months. Or you can apply for it in India, where it will be quicker but then you might be stuck in the city you apply in for 8-10 days as technically you are not allowed to leave the city while the application is in process, though no one would seriously follow up on that. Thats interesting so Indians actually carry their ID with them when they enter AP ? What about millions who have almost no ID or maybe a ration card ? BTW I still have my Indian license and even Indian passport :P I can sneak in anywhere :two_thumbs_up: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muloghonto Posted May 31, 2013 Author Share Posted May 31, 2013 Thats interesting so Indians actually carry their ID with them when they enter AP ? What about millions who have almost no ID or maybe a ration card ? BTW I still have my Indian license and even Indian passport :P I can sneak in anywhere :two_thumbs_up: Dont you get into epic amounts of trouble if they do find you in posession of your old Indian passport (assuming you are a citizen of elsewhere now and need to surrender it) ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desi Cartman Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Dont you get into epic amounts of trouble if they do find you in posession of your old Indian passport (assuming you are a citizen of elsewhere now and need to surrender it) ? No it wasnt compulsory to surrender the passport back then, it started around 2008 I think. When I got my Indian passport they made it for 20 years so my passport is still valid as per the date so its ok for an ID. I also gave my passport to Indian consulate few weeks ago to get a birth certificate and they even returned it. I am sure its cancelled in their system but I can use it in India as ID. Also my driving license is still valid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muloghonto Posted May 31, 2013 Author Share Posted May 31, 2013 No it wasnt compulsory to surrender the passport back then' date=' it started around 2008 I think. When I got my Indian passport they made it for 20 years so my passport is still valid as per the date so its ok for an ID. I also gave my passport to Indian consulate few weeks ago to get a birth certificate and they even returned it. I am sure its cancelled in their system but I can use it in India as ID. Also my driving license is still valid.[/quote'] :wall::wall::wall: Mental note: talk to ICF-ers first before doing anything India beurocracy related than relying on professional consultant help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jalebi_bhai Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 You can visit Arunachal legally as a foreign citizen. Just like Indians you'll need to get a permit and the permit has more restrictions on it than for an Indian citizen. It might not allow you to go to Tawang or other areas close to the border where an Indian citizen can go, but you will be able to visit most of the state. The only major restriction is that you will not be allowed to travel in an independent capacity. You will have to be associated with an official tour operator. There is also some maximum day stay thing but it's reasonably long enough. If you are interested in hiking, not all routes will be permitted and you will need to register at each local magistrate or police station when you go from one district to another. I had helped arrange the protected area permit for a couple of friends of mine a few years back and it was reasonably straightforward though time consuming. You can apply for it at any Indian consulate, but since the document has to go to India and be approved there it can take a couple of months. Or you can apply for it in India, where it will be quicker but then you might be stuck in the city you apply in for 8-10 days as technically you are not allowed to leave the city while the application is in process, though no one would seriously follow up on that. May I ask why is it so restrictive in Arunachal Pradesh? Is it about the disputes with the Chinese govt.? Is the state a drug haven? Volatile social surroundings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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